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Amen. The SW summers are just as bad (if not worse) than deep south summers. Dry heat or not, youre subjected to month after month after month of brutal sun and intense heat, its no picnic either. Im quite frankly tired of people saying "its a dry heat". Well, no doubt it is, but its STILL HOT. Way too hot to be out during peak hours. Add to that the fact that the dry air is bad for hair, sinuses, skin, etc. I hike for 2 hours in the desert and Im wasted: burning up, sweating profusely, etc, and I go through 2-3 bottles of water. Ive hiked up here in the most humid days possible and gone 8 miles with only one bottle of water. On cooler/drier days I can do a 8-10 mile hike and only drink 1/2 bottle. Sure the dry heat might feel a bit better, but its not better for the body, it sucks the moisture right out of you, which isnt good. The heat down there is deadly to people of all ages, make sure you take the proper precautions to avoid dehydration. And while it might get humid here from time to time, it must be noted that it comes and goes. It is now late September and Ive only had to run the A/C only for 2 weeks this entire summer because it was a bit too sticky for my tastes.
Yes Steve....No Illinoise has better weather than Nm just like No Idaho and No montana and Vermont and New Hampshire but....we live here bacause it suits are needs. We are tough out here in NM and are used to the dry heat and TALL Mountain Pines that are all around our state. If i want perfect weather then i'd move to San Diego but NM suits us just fine but to each their own..
Curious why your always posting about Illinoise on the NM threads. Nothing wrong i guess but just strange as i'd assume if i started posting on the Illinoise threads about how great NM was i think the posters over there would give me a thrashing...
Anyway your a good person so don't take offense to what i posted even if you are a Da Bears and Cubs fan.......Where's Ditka when we need him....
Curious why your always posting about Illinoise on the NM threads.
Well, let me ask you this: why cant I?
Anyways, I dont "always" post about Illinois (no 'e' on the end ) on here. I just responded to someone's post and brought up Illinois because, well, I live here. And if you wanted to post about NM on the IL boards, feel free. Noone said you couldnt.
But everyone proclaims how "great" the weather is down there, right? If you cant get out on a summer day to enjoy nature, dont you think thats the definition of bad weather (regardless if its sunny or not)? Due to our son, we HAVE to vacation in the summer and Im not about to sit indoors all day. So yes, I DO hike when its hot, and its the most miserable experience you can imagine. But I do it because I love hiking and I love the SW's scenery. Just dont proclaim how great the weather is, because its not that great. Its unbelievably hot and dry.
Well, everybody has their own preferences, Steve. Having lived in the hot and dry SW all of my life (save the 6 months of work related stay near Jackson, MS), if you ventured out during the hottest part of the day, it was to go to the local pool. Otherwise, you stayed indoors if you didn't have to go out. You can hike at other times during the day rather than the hottest, you know....and yes, extreme heat is miserable, make no mistake about that. You'll get no argument from me there.
I think what people are trying to say......the less humidity you have, the more bearable the heat is. I have never thought that extremely hot weather was all that wonderful....LOL!!!
I have never been in the Midwest (IN,IL) during the summer, only the winter--and the cold is just totally penetrating and wet, in my experience.
Out here in the SW, even the coldest temperatures are far more bearable, IMHO.
Well, everybody has their own preferences, Steve. Having lived in the hot and dry SW all of my life (save the 6 months of work related stay near Jackson, MS), if you ventured out during the hottest part of the day, it was to go to the local pool. Otherwise, you stayed indoors if you didn't have to go out. You can hike at other times during the day rather than the hottest, you know....and yes, extreme heat is miserable, make no mistake about that. You'll get no argument from me there.
I think what people are trying to say......the less humidity you have, the more bearable the heat is. I have never thought that extremely hot weather was all that wonderful....LOL!!!
I have never been in the Midwest (IN,IL) during the summer, only the winter--and the cold is just totally penetrating and wet, in my experience.
Out here in the SW, even the coldest temperatures are far more bearable, IMHO.
Well, like you said, everyone is different. I think the cold Chicago winter is more comfortable than the cold I experienced in Denver and Santa Fe. Its feels colder to me w/o the humidity, that was just my observation. And while the summer temps in the SW might be a shade more tolerable than the south's summers, hot is hot, no matter what way you look at it. When I was in ABQ I was definitely very warm. By the time I got to Phoenix, it was positively hell. There were a few days where the temp soared to 116 degrees, with 4% humidity, and it felt absolutely horrible. On the way home we got some relief in ABQ's 94 degree weather, but back in IL we were greeted with the normal 83 degrees and moderate humidity and I was actually COLD. Ill never complain about the heat here again. lol I think ABQ has a great overall climate (one of the better in the USA), but the summers there are indeed long and warm, whereas our winters are long and cold.
Well, like you said, everyone is different. I think the cold Chicago winter is more comfortable than the cold I experienced in Denver and Santa Fe. Its feels colder to me w/o the humidity, that was just my observation. And while the summer temps in the SW might be a shade more tolerable than the south's summers, hot is hot, no matter what way you look at it. When I was in ABQ I was definitely very warm. By the time I got to Phoenix, it was positively hell. There were a few days where the temp soared to 116 degrees, with 4% humidity, and it felt absolutely horrible. On the way home we got some relief in ABQ's 94 degree weather, but back in IL we were greeted with the normal 83 degrees and moderate humidity and I was actually COLD. Ill never complain about the heat here again. lol I think ABQ has a great overall climate (one of the better in the USA), but the summers there are indeed long and warm, whereas our winters are long and cold.
LOL!!! Phoenix is just unreal....it IS hell, and there is no way I'd live there. I spent a summer in Phoenix and Wickenburg, AZ....and I have never forgotten how hot it was. We were out in midday....at the pool!!!
And in the desert, it doesnt really cool off at night when youre down low. I spend a few weeks in AZ and I can vouch for nighttime "lows" of 100 degrees.
It definitely stays in the 90's in Phoenix at night sometimes in July and August, but we have never had an overnight low of 100 degrees. 96 is the warmest low we've had. Here's the National Weather Service records:
It definitely stays in the 90's in Phoenix at night sometimes in July and August, but we have never had an overnight low of 100 degrees. 96 is the warmest low we've had. Here's the National Weather Service records:
96 at night is just MISERABLE, and 4 degrees isn't going to make that much more difference, LOL!! I can't even stand 80 at night, and when it hit 90 at night in WT...ewwwwww. We just thought it was horrible.
96 at night is just MISERABLE, and 4 degrees isn't going to make that much more difference, LOL!! I can't even stand 80 at night, and when it hit 90 at night in WT...ewwwwww. We just thought it was horrible.
And so it was......
I never noticed, it was 76 with a nice breeze from the ceiling fan inside my house.
It definitely stays in the 90's in Phoenix at night sometimes in July and August, but we have never had an overnight low of 100 degrees. 96 is the warmest low we've had. Here's the National Weather Service records:
It was a roundabout guess. The nights when I go in the summer (usually June-ish) are in the upper 80s and definitely in the 90s. And when its 95 at night, it might as well be 100, you cant really tell the difference. All I remember was herping at night (around 11 pm) and sweating profusely thinking to myself 'this isnt right'. lol Here are a few pics that you might enjoy (I took these this summer):
Up near the Petrified Forest (northern part of AZ!):
In the sun in Scottsdale:
Here's a hint at how hot it was... the SUN did this!
And while Im showing pics, here is one from the Gallup area (my fave area of NM):
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Im quite frankly tired of people saying "its a dry heat". Well, no doubt it is, but its STILL HOT. 
Way too hot to be out during peak hours. Add to that the fact that the dry air is bad for hair, sinuses, skin, etc. I hike for 2 hours in the desert and Im wasted: burning up, sweating profusely, etc, and I go through 2-3 bottles of water. Ive hiked up here in the most humid days possible and gone 8 miles with only one bottle of water. On cooler/drier days I can do a 8-10 mile hike and only drink 1/2 bottle. Sure the dry heat might feel a bit better, but its not better for the body, it sucks the moisture right out of you, which isnt good. The heat down there is deadly to people of all ages, make sure you take the proper precautions to avoid dehydration. And while it might get humid here from time to time, it must be noted that it comes and goes. It is now late September and Ive only had to run the A/C only for 2 weeks this entire summer because it was a bit too sticky for my tastes. 
Noone said you couldnt. 
So yes, I DO hike when its hot, and its the most miserable experience you can imagine. But I do it because I love hiking and I love the SW's scenery. Just dont proclaim how great the weather is, because its not that great. Its unbelievably hot and dry. 
